The most expensive, in-demand phone in China right now isn’t the iPhone X

By Andy Boxall November 23, 2017

Even if you don’t intend to buy one, there’s a good chance you know how much the iPhone X costs, due to its $1,000-plus price gaining plenty of attention. Despite being one of the most expensive phones you can buy, it’s apparently not the one that’s the most expensive, in-demand phone in China right now. That dubious honor goes to Huawei, and its Porsche Design-branded spinoff of the Mate 10 Pro.

Even at standard retail price, the Huawei Mate 10 Pro Porsche Design is more expensive than the iPhone X, but a high degree of demand has seen prices double as people clamor to get their hands on the phone. In China, the Porsche Design version costs 9,000 yuan, or about $1,370 U.S. at today’s exchange rate. That’s if you can find one for sale at all.

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The limited-edition phone has found plenty of buyers, and its rarity is pushing prices on the resale market up. Online retailers are selling the phone for 18,500 yuan to 27,000 yuan, or $2,800 to $4,100. By comparison, the iPhone X is readily available on Taobao and JD.com for around 9,000 yuan, only slightly more than its official, cheapest retail price.

A retailer selling the Mate 10 Pro Porsche Design on Chinese online site Taobao said he has received many inquiries for the device, but few have been able to actually buy it. A 38 year-old who tried, but ultimately failed to buy the phone through the official Huawei sales channel told the China Daily that the phone sold out in seconds. Huawei and Porsche Design have never said how many of the phone will be produced.

The Porsche Design phone is also sold in Europe, where it’s priced at 1,395 euros ($1,653) and is expected to ship at the beginning of December if you pre-order now. The European Porsche Design store also sells a Chinese version of the device, and orders will ship in January if placed now.

Is the Porsche Design Mate 10 Pro worth not only the trouble of finding one, but also paying considerably more than the regular price, or even the standard Huawei Mate 10 Pro? We’ve used the phone, and definitely concluded that you’re better off saving some cash and just buying the superb standard Mate 10 Pro.

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